Devotionals @ The Mount Church

My junior year of college I spent 10 months looking for a good internship.  One month after I should have landed one in order to graduate, I still had nothing.  I had the grades, I’d worked for the experience, I had a strong resume.  I remember walking one morning in tears telling the Lord that I needed this, but if He wanted me to stay home and finish school late, I would do it.  I wanted to be where He wanted me more than where I thought I should be.  I gave up my “right” to stubbornly pursue my own path and decided to listen for His voice.  An hour later UCLA called me and offered me a position on the spot.  They’d lost my number months before, and just happened to find it that morning.  It turned out to be a more prestigious internship than I thought I could get, working with a population I care deeply for–a better situation than I was pursuing on my own.

This past week I sat on my couch journaling and praying.  I’ve been raising prayer and financial support since February in order to begin my job, and literally ran out of people to talk to, with so little to go.  As I wrote I began confessing my sin of working in my own wisdom and looking to man to provide rather than to Him and my desperate need for Him to move.  The last sentence of my entry reads “Lord, this is what it comes down to–I can’t go unless You supernaturally provide for me.  I’m sorry for”.  In all honesty I don’t remember what I was sorry for because the phone rang.  A church that I’d applied for support with last March decided to take me on as one of their missionaries.  I can move next week.

David writes in Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”  Indeed, the Lord does not despise a broken spirit, but rather longs for one.  This is the person solely looking to Him, fully submitted to His will, a person He can use and to whom He can reveal Himself.  This is the person I both fight against and long to be.

the fight

Few people are ever comfortable in being broken.  In fact, most of us prefer to live with the constant misconception that we actually know what we are doing and are in control of our lives.  Brokenness, in contrast, proclaims the truth–that in our own strength we cannot know what truly is best for our lives and have very little control over what is and is not allowed to enter our lives.  It is the recognition of need and the willful release of control that is terrifying, because in this, you are forced to trust in something other than yourself.

Recognizing the lie is generally the first step in moving toward brokenness.  At times in our lives each of us are left in a situation completely out of our control.  Often our initial response is to dejectedly share with others that “all I can do is just pray.”  My sweet friend’s father often replies to this announcement with, “really?!  has it really come down to that???”  I love that response.  It is a warm and loving rebuke.  A snap back to reality.  For in truth, is not prayer the greatest and most effective thing that we can ever do when we approach and all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God?  The move towards brokenness begins with recognizing who we truly are, and remembering the reality of who God is.  And in this, brokenness leads to repentance.

the process

Matthew Henry describes David’s brokenness (from Psalm 51) as “it is a heart pliable to the word of God, and patient under the rod of God, a heart subdued and brought into obedience; it is a heart that is tender”.  A heart that is broken is sensitive to the Word, and even more so seeks out and longs to know the Word and be moved.  One can patiently endure the Lord’s discipline because there is understanding of His great love (Rev. 3:19), and there is no longer a battle in the heart but a longing to obey and move in faith.  In truth there is much rest and peace to be found in brokenness.  When you stop attempting to live in your own strength and wisdom, and instead simply trust the Lord and obey as He calls you to, a great weight is lifted.  Jesus Himself emphasized this in Matthew 6 as He spoke of the Lord’s loving care for His creation and gently asks “who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (v. 27).  Brokenness is the laying aside of self, self’s goals, and self’s ability to control, and humbly trusting in the reality of God and walking by faith as He calls.  A heart that longs for Him more than for our own glory is a heart that can be used, a heart longed for.

the logic behind it all

The plagues of Exodus, the fight with Goliath, the battles in Kings, prophesied wars of Isaiah and Ezekiel, the miracles of Christ–all done to reveal God.  Each writer repeatedly uses the phrase “that you may know” that the true God is in Israel, that He has not forgotten His people, that He is God of all the earth, that the Son of man has power.  God has moved throughout history to make himself known to nations, people groups, and individuals.  He longs for His glory, and His glory is for our good (see the Rock Music devo if you have further questions on this).  Brokenness removes our glory, stolen from Him, and gives Him all the glory.  It recognizes who God is, and frees Him to fully reveal Himself.  That you may know Him, and make Him known.  A broken heart is truly beautiful.

making it personal

• Read Matt. 6.  What part(s) do you struggle with believing on a daily basis?  Why?
• Has there been a time in the past where the Lord has broken you?  What did He reveal about Himself?
• What is your greatest barrier to being broken?  To trusting the Lord?
• What lies do you frequently believe about yourself?  About the Lord?
• What, according to the Bible, is the truth countering these lies?  Find specific verses.
• Pray that He will soften your heart and bring brokenness.  I dare you

We praise what we love, and what we esteem to have value, what we enjoy.  Whether a good meal, a college team, a lover, a hero, a child-it is natural to sing the praises of that which we value.  CS Lewis writes:

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are, the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. (Reflections on the Psalms)

Praise both expresses our delight and completes our delight.  It is a demonstration of love towards the object of praise, and an invitation for others around to join with you in this delight.  And sharing in the object of praise is yet another demonstration of your love for those you share with-to taste a bite of your cake because of it’s richness, to borrow a CD because it moves you, to invite others to meet your friend because you so enjoy his presence.  We both long for those we love to experience and share in the joy we’ve found in this object, as well as to join with you to attribute value and praise out of love for this object.  And so it is with God.

a worthy object

Were I to tell you that you should praise God, most of you if not all would agree.  This is a good and right thing to, but little of knowing that you “should” do anything is terribly motivating.  In fact, often in my own rebellious heart, if I am told i should do something, I am much more apt to not.  True praise erupts from a heart overwhelmed by love.  And true love is never derived out of a sense of duty, but out of delight. Praise for God will naturally flow out of a heart in love with God.

And we love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).  He loved us and gave Himself up for us (Ephesians 5:2,25), that nothing might separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).  Piper explains that if God is love, and He loves perfectly, then the greatest act of love would be to give to us that which is most fulfilling.  He writes:

In view of God’s infinitely admirable beauty and power and wisdom what would his love to a creature involve? Or to put it another way: What could God give us to enjoy that would show him most loving? There is only one possible answer, isn’t there? HIMSELF! If God would give us the best, the most satisfying, that is, if he would love us perfectly, he must offer us no less than himself for our contemplation and fellowship. (sermon: Is God for us or for Himself?)

We are greatly loved despite ourselves, not because of ourselves!  And because of this God is worthy of our love, worthy of all our praise, worthy of our lives.

a right response

As Christ entered Jerusalem for the last time, his followers laid their robes at his feet, they cried out His praise declaring the glory of the coming King.  When the Pharisees demanded Jesus quiet them, He proclaimed that were they to be silent the very stones would cry out His praise (Luke 19).  David writes that the heavens declare the glory of the Lord (Psalm 19:1).  Creation boldly and unashamedly reveals God’s glory, displaying His great power, His beauty, creativity, and wisdom, simply by being what it is created to be.  We are no different.  If we are obedient to do what the Lord has called us to do, He is revealed and glorified.  He is glorified in your personality that He has specifically designed, in the gifts He has bestowed on you, in the dreams and calling He has laid on your heart–all are meant to glorify and reveal Him to others.  He is made great as our lives are transformed and we live out our faith expressing itself in love.  A right response to His love involves a life that reflects His love, provoking praise in your own heart and in others’.

But taking it a step further, a right response involves attributing the changes in your life, attributing the glory to Him.  We have become far to quiet in our faith.  St. Francis is quoted as saying “preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words”, emphasizing that we must not proclaim the gospel and turn away like hypocrites and fail to live it out, fail to love those who are hard to love, to give generously to those in need, to live selflessly.  However, with the climate of our culture today, we have become far too silent.  It is much more politically correct to keep your faith to yourself and not make those around you uncomfortable. It is easier to avoid certain topics, or to brush away questions, than it is to talk about God as if He were real to an atheist.  And while I am in no way encouraging street corner preaching, I am encouraging praise both in the way we live and with our voices, in and outside of church.  May we be unafraid to be viewed as fools by the world, as long as we are known as fools who love because of God.  May the rocks not have to cry out.

a step further…

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

v. 1-3

1. What is the tone in these first 3 verses? What words stick out to you? What is their connotation?
2. What does Paul want us to understand about our state prior to God’s intervention?
3. v. 4-7.  There is a major shift in tone here. What or Who causes this shift? What is the tone following this shift?
4. Verses 4-7 describe God rescuing us from our former life (v. 1-3). What was God’s motive in rescuing us?
5. What do these verses teach us about the nature of God and Christ?
6. In verses 8 and 9 what role do grace and faith play in our salvation? Must we do anything?
7. In this passage what does God do and what do we do? What changes in our life as the passage progresses?
8. How is the term “works” used in v. 9 and 10? What is the significance of this difference?
9. This passage was written to believers. Paul reminds us of our former state partly to warn us of living as dead though we are now alive. Why are you tempted to live as though you were still dead?
10. Even in our salvation we may be tempted to boast in ourselves, seeking glory for that which we did not accomplish. In what ways are you tempted to steal God’s glory? (v. 8-9)
11. Why did Paul go to great lengths to describe our depravity (v.1-3)? (Hint: see also Luke 7:36-47). With this in mind, what is your heart’s response to God?

Several nights ago I dreamed I was in Panera Bread trying to order dinner.  Three times I wasn’t listened to and ended up with a PBJ (which I hate) on plain white Bunny Bread.  I woke up frustrated and hungry.  I do not share this in order to make a deep spiritual allegory, only to let you know that this devotion is about bread.  May you finish this more satisfied and longing all the more deeply for the Bread of Life.  Enjoy!

people and bread

We all hunger.  It is part of the human experience, a need to maintain, to build strength, to find pleasure, to live.  Bread is first mentioned in the Bible very early on-it is in fact, a part of the fall, “by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground…” (Genesis 3:19).  And so from the very beginning we see a struggle-what we need to survive and to maintain strength will not come easily but with much effort.  We hunger, we have need.

god and bread

Throughout the Bible, the significant mentions of bread are tied to the miraculous.  Melchizedek, King of Salem and priest of the Most High God, without beginning or end, blesses Abraham and refreshes him with bread and wine (Genesis 14).  Unleavened bread becomes a symbol and reminder, an intricate part of the Passover and Israel’s liberation from Egypt (Exodus 12).  Manna appeared each morning for years, sustaining the Israelites in the desert, bread from the Lord (Exodus 16).  Christ’s first temptation was to turn stone into bread (Matt. 4), and He fed thousands with a few loaves of bread and some fish (John 6).

Matthew Henry notes that the bread and wine brought forth by Melchizedek represents God’s spiritual provision of strength and comfort.  And you see this theme continue.  Each miracle listed above reveals the Lord’s ability and desire to provide for His people, to sustain and to strengthen them.  In the desert, where it would  be impossible to find food for an entire wandering nation, no one went hungry for 40 years.  He taught His children to look to Him to provide, and this is why Christ’s first temptation was actually a temptation.  At first glance, one wonders what would be so wrong with Christ commanding the stones be turned to bread, after all, there is no command against this and he was hungry (he’d been fasting for 40 days!).  He needed bread.  However, in turning the stones to bread, his actions would fly in the face of God–in a sense taking his care and provision into his own hands rather than trusting in the Lord to provide, “He (Satan) tempted him to despair of his Father’s goodness, and to distrust his Father’s care concerning him” (Matthew Henry).  It was not the miracle that was the issue, it was the heart in it-am I to satisfy my desires in my own wisdom or look to God to satisfy them?  And God provides well-”Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.” (Matthew 4:11).  Bread is a reminder of God’s perfect provision.

christ and bread

Shortly after He fed the 5,000 (actually in the same chapter) Christ described Himself as “the bread of life” (John 6).  Where his followers sought another miracle and a free meal, He instead challenged their hearts.  Just as bread is a source of life for us, Christ is the source of eternal life.  He repeatedly tells the crowd that whoever comes to him and whoever believes shall never hunger or thirst.  Where they were looking for the temporary and the physical, Christ spoke of the eternal.  We see this same image repeated at the last supper, the bread becoming His body, broken for us (Matthew 26), and in this He becomes the superior bread.  Matthew Henry writes:

Manna was given to Israel; so Christ to the spiritual Israel. There was manna enough for them all; so in Christ a fullness of grace for all believers; he that gathers much of this manna will have none to spare when he comes to use it; and he that gathers little, when his grace comes to be perfected in glory, shall find that he has no lack. Manna was to be gathered in the morning; and those that would find Christ must seek him early.Manna was sweet, and, as the author of the Wisdom of Solomon tells us (Wisd. 16:20), was agreeable to every palate; and to those that believe Christ is precious. Israel lived upon manna till they came to Canaan; and Christ is our life. There was a memorial of the manna preserved in the ark; so of Christ in the Lord’s supper, as the food of souls.

Bread is a symbol of Christ’s perfect and eternal provision, His mediation on our behalf, that we might have life.

one step further

• When are you most tempted to question God’s goodness towards you?  Why?
• What is the biblical truth concerning this matter? (hint: if you don’t know immediate verses, see http://www.blueletterbible.org/ and do a word search–every verse containing this word will be referenced)
• Do you view God as your provider?  How does this affect the way you live?
• Spend some time praising the Lord for his provisions, praising Christ for being the Bread of Life, the perfect meeter of our need created at the start of the fall.

We were not made for death.  Whether you believe the Bible or not, this fact is apparent–there is no one who naturally desires to die, and given a threatening situation we naturally demonstrate a fight or flight response–both being means to preserve life.  And looking at God’s original design for creation, death was not a part of it.  We were made for life, for intimate relationship with God, for productivity, for care both of creation and one another, and in this God said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).  Death entered the picture when our sin tainted all of creation, and from that point on God has carefully planned out and enacted the greatest rescue mission ever designed.  And He was successful.  He is successful.  And because of this, we have the hope of eternal life.  Yet death still remains, a felt result of the fall.  Paul looks at the hope that we have, the present reality of death, and our subsequent response to this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (go ahead, read it!).

a mystery

We have learned to prolong life.  Dog foods are formulated for optimal health, special plant foods grow larger stronger vegetation, surgeries and medications and technology keep us living longer.  But it all eventually ends.  We will perish.  This is part of the curse, the result of sin “…for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).  And yet, as mentioned before, this was not God’s original intent for creation.  Nor is it part of His redemption plan.  We grow and age, and our bodies slowly cease to work, some more quickly than others.  We are perishable.  It is apparent that these bodies cannot last forever, and Paul confirms this in v. 50.  But this is not the end.  Paul refers to God’s plan as a mystery, and rightly so, for He works backwards.  Paul does not give specific details, only that we will be changed.  Upon Christ’s return, the dead shall be raised–that which is perishable and has perished will be renewed and perfected and imperishable.  The mortal become immortal, and there is movement from the temporary to the eternal (v. 51-54).

imminent victory

The reality of the hope that we have in Christ is victory over death.  Christ has conquered it.  Paul explains that the sting of death is sin, and that the power of sin is the law (v.56).  Both of which have been overcome by Christ on the cross.  Paul later writes to the Corinthians “…he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Christ knew no sin.  Though tempted in every way (Hebrews 4:15), He remained sinless, spotlessly perfect and holy.  He did this by fulfilling the law.  Note that Christ did not abolish the law (Matthew 5:17)–he law still stands.  It is just as sinful today to murder as it was before Christ.  However, we are no longer to look to the law for righteousness (which it could never bring, it only condemned for we all fall short, and therefore it brought death), instead we look to Christ and the righteousness we have through Him.  For he has fulfilled the law, taken our punishment, and declared us righteous before God.  Paul describes this to the Romans:

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (8:3-4)

now what?

Christ lived a sinless life, fulfilling the law and claiming victory over death.  Because of Him, we have hope of an imperishable, immortal, eternal life with Him, though now the reality of death still remains.  What is our right response?

Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (v. 58)

I adore the definition of steadfast.  In Greek this word implies “a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and suffering” (though I am rarely steadfast, the Lord’s love is often described by this term!).  So then, because of the hope that we have in Christ, in our eternity, we are to remain steadfast in the midst of the hardest of trials.  We are to be immovable.  We are able to respond in this way because death is very real, but life after is what we live for.  Death is not the end.  We are to abound in the work of the Lord.  Abound implies that this work is of utmost importance in our life, it is pre-eminent.  One who lives as if death is the end will  not live for the work of the Lord.  We however, are to live for eternity, so that in all that we do we work as for the Lord, not for man.  And we are to know that all this is not done in vain.  We are to rest in the hope of eternity.

application

• In what ways are you tempted to live for this life alone?
• How would your life be different were you to solely live for eternity?
• Why is it difficult to live for eternity?  What lies bind you to this life?  What is the biblical truth?

I lived in a communist country for 2 years. You quickly learn that the government controls everything, and in order to succeed, you must play along. All “good” jobs are regulated by The Party—whether you seek to be a teacher, an actor, a reporter, or a doctor. Before you can find a job in any professional setting, you must also be a member of The Party. In order to join the Party, you must renounce your faith.

My friend Dave recently left his well paying and secure business job after four years. He was tired of being pressured by his boss to lie to his clients.

The Lord has asked Tom, Shannon, and their daughter Abigail to live in an impoverished and gang infested area of Los Angeles, that they might be a light to their neighbors.

There is no such thing as a comfortable Christian. Following Christ costs. Jesus never claimed otherwise. At times it is a willing sacrifice of obedience. At others, it is persecution. In both circumstances it is faith in the hope that we have, and confident assurance of Him who gives us this hope that motivates and sustains us beyond all circumstance.

the danger of comfort

There is a movement today in Christian circles that seems to advocate both God and comfort.  The idea of suffering is so far removed from the American mindset that it has affected our faith as well.  Lack of comfort may be actually interpreted as the result of sin, rather than the result of following Christ.  And yet when you look at Christ’s life, the very opposite is true.  Comfort is dangerous because it numbs us to the needs around us.  It is a sign of our ineffectiveness as believers.

Christians are not masochists.  We do not need to seek out suffering for the Lord.  Persecution will find us if we are walking daily with the Lord, being obedient to Him, and glorifying Him in this world.  James writes in chapter 4, “…Or do you not know, brothers, that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (v.4).  Friends are not persecuted, enemies are.  And why does (or why should) the world hate us so much?  Paul writes to the Corinthian church “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.  And who is equal to such a task?” (2nd Cor. 2:15-16).  The smell of death is not pleasant, it is repulsive.  It is uncomfortable to be that smell.  It makes others uncomfortable.  And yet to those who are being saved, it is hope, it is encouragement to continue in the faith, it is life.  You cannot be both.

And while many suburban Christians are living in numbing comfort, it is not to say that the Lord does not want you to be successful in your vocations.  Instead, we should be the best workers in our fields, for we are to work as for the Lord and not for man (Col. 3:23).  That too is a testimony to those around us, and if the Lord allows us to prosper in our fields, we should rejoice.  But it is imperative to understand, the Lord never blesses us in order to make us comfortable.  One of the families I worked with in Asia were very successful in their business.  After several years, David felt that the Lord wanted him to have what he termed “a year of jubilee”.  He and Kelly examined their budget of the last year and determined exactly what they needed in order to live.  They then made a commitment to give away everything that they made over this budget for the following year.  The first week of January David landed the biggest contract of his life.  The giving began that week.  We please the Lord when we have hearts that are not self-seeking and longing for security, but hearts of faith that trust greatly and obey.  This is a life the Lord can use, and a life that stands out in the world.

we are homeless

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.  If they had been thinking fo that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Hebrews 11:13-16

Following Christ costs.  Here.  Here, however, is not our home.  We all too often live with the misconception that this is home, that we belong here.  Living according to this truth would naturally encourage a desire for comfort, a desire to make one feel at home.  Living as if now is temporary, however, encourages an entirely different drive.  Abraham was willing to leave family and home to wander the desert after God’s will (Heb. 11:8-12).  Christ never settled in a town because he had to be about the work of the Father.  Paul never made a home after encountering Christ.  These men understood two key truths–following the Lord is the greatest priority at any cost, and home is to come.  When you begin to live for eternity rather than the present your perspective changes.  Time here seems extremely short and temporary.  You see those around you as eternal as well, and subsequently there is a sense of urgency in making the Lord known.  A right perspective gives you peace in the midst of suffering, and greater hope in what is ahead.  A right perspective frees us to give and to sacrifice now for the joy that is to come.

application

~How has your walk with the Lord been the stench of death to others?  The fragrance of life?

~Would you be willing to leave all you have, to give away what you’ve worked for to follow Christ?  What would be the hardest thing to give up?

~Read over Hebrews 11.  Why were these men able to endure?  Where was their hope?

~Read 2 Corinthians 4:8-18.  How does Paul describe his life?  Why does he call such suffering light and momentary?  Where is his hope?

~Where is your hope?  Does your life reflect this hope?

prayer

Please go to www.operationworld.org and pray for the country listed in “pray today”.  Specifically pray for the Christians there, both native and expatriates, that are giving up their homes and livelihoods here for the sake of Christ.